If you’re a hopeless romantic, you probably endlessly imagine the day your lifelong partner will swoop you into his husky chocolate arms. Your yearning to unconditionally love and grow with him never passes you by. You firmly believe that the love you seek is awaiting you around the corner.
You, in this context, would be me, Mia Booth.
I am not sure when I became so infatuated with the pursuit of love. I would guess after watching so many fairytale movies starting with Cinderella and Prince Charming to Lara Jean Parker and Peter Kavinsky, or was it Tessa Young and Hardin Scott? (Those are just a few of the couples I’ve committed to repeatedly watching).
On an honest note, I have yet to attest to or experience the fairytale love, yet I continue to crave it.
After diagnosing myself with such character traits of a hopeless romantic, I began studying the fictional relationships I merrily kept up with. In the back of my mind, I knew what guys like Prince Charming, Peter, and Hardin would have done for their significant other. Because of my note-taking, I knew exactly what I wanted my romance to look like. Certainly, not a carbon copy of those couples, but a relationship fairly similar.
Though, there was only one not so minor issue: the relationships I admired lacked a piece of me. They lacked my one, non-negotiable; the one essential aspect of my entire life. They lacked the creator of all, my God.
How could it have taken me so long to realize the absence of God in their relationships?
I am a “church girl,” as many would lovingly say. I commit and devote myself to a God that is omnipotent and ever-lasting. God is the manual of my life. Without God, I am nothing. Without God, my relationships are bound to be temporary.
Approximately a year ago, I questioned why I was not so compatible with someone I once thought I was attracted to. We had a few things in common but not much to establish a genuine connection.
More importantly, we lived opposite lifestyles. Our percentage of compatibility was pretty low. Despite knowing a bit about him, it registered to me that he never mentioned anything about his religious beliefs.
Confidently, I quickly went on to share mine. Still, my confidence did not encourage nor prompt him to engage on the topic. At that moment, I knew that there would be no potential relationship. He was no longer a subject of interest.
I knew that one day he could meet God. In spite of that, it was not my assignment or purpose to fix him. His calling would come, but whether or not he would answer it was up to his own discretion, of course.
My desire for love can be intense; however, I am well aware of my necessities in a romantic relationship. My Lord God is one of them.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 reads, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.” (NKJV)
In my past time, I have been so quick to resort to someone who I thought I was comfortable with. This is applicable to friendship and romantic relations. I wanted to thrive relationship-wise.
I was quick to commit to building with people that had no purpose in my life. Our relationships did not fulfill my religious needs and therefore, we did not sharpen one another’s iron, but despite this, I continued to bear with them.
Through it all, I began to lose my relationship with God. Was it worth it? Absolutely not.
I plan to never lose sight of God again or trade my relationship with him for temporary pleasure.
Today, I am fully committed to my relationship with God. My first priority is to continue to reinvigorate our relationship before he prepares me to become an essential part of someone else’s life.
Remaining on this path, I know I will prosper when that time arrives. The life I romanticize and see for myself includes my lifelong partner and me standing before God, shoulder to shoulder, equally yoked.
My options are slim in my choice of men due to my needs. I prefer to have a partnership with a guy that is unashamed to proclaim his beliefs.
It is vital that I know that when trials and tribulations unexpectedly arrive, I will not face them alone. I will have unwavering support from my partner. He will remind me to seek our Father.
I am assured that my Prince Charming will not hesitate to dissect scripture with me. He will worship with me from the pew. He will bow his head in prayer with me. He will embrace the light of God within our relationship. He will stand in the presence of God.
In the meantime, I will be fruitful in the season that God has currently placed me in.
While the hopeless romantic in me remains, my determining factor stays the same: Will you meet me at the altar?